browser

Yesterday, Google released an update to its Chrome web browser for most of the major platforms, including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. However, it appears that a lot of users have been experiencing crashing issues with the new update on iOS, including many of our readers, as well as myself. It turns out that the update doesn't quite work well on jailbroken iDevices.

During Mobile World Congress earlier this month, Opera showed off its all new browser, which it had announced last month. This browser, which is the full deal, has been built from the ground up and utilizes the WebKit rendering engine, the same used by Chrome. The browser is in beta mode, and is now available to Android users via the Google Play Store.

Today is a big day for Google's Chrome web browser. It received an update on four major platforms, including Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. While Windows and Linux users aren't getting huge updates for their versions of Chrome, both iOS and Android are getting their own new features that they'll definitely enjoy.

Microsoft faces a potentially huge fine from the European Union over its PC browser choice goof last year, with insiders claiming the penalty will be imposed before the end of March. "The Commission is planning to fine Microsoft before the Easter break" a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters; though the exact amount Microsoft faces in penalties is unknown, there are whispers that it will be considerable since this will be the second time the company has not complied with the EU.

Back in October last year, we heard for the first time that Internet Explorer 10 would be making its way to Windows 7, and right on schedule the release preview became available to users in mid-November. Finally, though, Microsoft has quietly rolled out the final version of Internet Explorer 10 to Windows 7 users today.

Opera has just reported that it lost about 91 of its employees, which amounts to almost 10% of its workforce. Half of the employees were developers for the software company, and the reason for the cut was due to Opera's decision to switch over to the open-source WebKit browser. The switch left the company with 840 employees last quarter, down from the 931 that it had previously had.

Browser developer Opera has passed the 300m monthly users mark, celebrating the milestone by transitioning to WebKit for its Android and iOS apps, with the first open-source contributions already apparently made. The shift to WebKit, away from Opera's home-grown browser engine, will begin this year, though the roadmap is described as "gradual"; it'll get its first public preview, meanwhile, at Mobile World Congress at the end of February.

You've likely already heard of the Java security scandal, which was something Oracle looked to fix quickly with an update to the software. Even though Oracle says it has patched the issue, some entities disagree. The latest to add its name to the list of dissenters seems to be Apple, as it has decided to block the Java 7 browser plug-in, even after the update was delivered by Oracle.

Mozilla has announced that sometime soon, it will be no longer automatically load any plugins on Firefox except the latest version of Flash, instead utilizing Click to Play, which requires users to manually authorize the use of a plugin. This is in an effort to reduce security risks that result from automatically using plugins like Java and Silverlight.

The classic board game Stratego is hitting more platforms today. Developed by Keesing Games, the popular strategy board game by Royal Jumbo is now available on the iPad, Facebook, or through a web browser (Stratego.com). Both the Facebook and web browser versions are free to play, but the developers are charging a hefty $6.99 for the iPad version.